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LAMIDI ADEDIBU - THE CROOKED WOOD THAT UPSETS THE FIREPLACE
by Wale Akin, East Sussex, UK
Political godfatherism is a bad trend that has really eaten deep into the political system in Nigeria and expunge like the one we had today will only bring sanity and total reformation into the country. In as much as i would have loved to sing and shout for the political demise of Ladoja, i am very cautious of the obvious fact that due democratic process was not followed, nonetheless, we need to address the main issue which will continue to rob us all of the dividends of democracy-POLITICAL GODFATHERISM.
Ladoja according to reports did not win the elections of Oyo state but was selected by Adedibu who has and will continue to dominate the political terrain of Oyo state, the good people of Oyo were pummeled right in the face and their collective psyche trampled upon, Ladoja was forced on them and now wants the entire nation to drum up support for him?.......CAPITAL NO!!! Ladoja must have sworn to some form of political secrecy, drank some fetish concoction and promises would have been made not to jeopardize the personal interests of the now estranged godfather. Ladoja did all these not for the betterment of the people of Oyo state but to satisfy his personal interest and thus allowed himself to be used as a political pawn to satisfy some big PDP chieftains.
Ladoja won the election and out of the blues decided to change the tune of the secret master plan which would have allowed Adedibu total control of the state resources plus including Ladoja himself, he left the latter in the cold and shut all political avenues and you could see the hyper-anger on Adedibu's face when he granted that negative epic interview to UK's Gbola Oba and Diran Onifade both of BEN TV UK, Adedibu's caustic innuendoes and negative onslaught were enough reasons to tell and show Ladoja that his days were indeed numbered. Adedibu was so vexed that he threw caution to the wind, he ranted so much like a deranged motor park tout, Adedibu told us all he controls the aces, he boasted about being the person that single-handedly bursted open the old Mapo hall brandishing a revolver, i bet you all if a person like Adedibu resides in UK, he would be slammed in a high security prisons chopping baked beans, he also boasted about having an inkling as to who becomes the president come 2007, that’s the height of insult to us as Nigerians
Coming back to Ladoja, he never envisaged that he who must eat with the devil must have a long spoon and also he who must sit at the devils den must bring his own personal stool, Ladoja's thread with Adedibu can be likened to the popular Yoruba adage that "the same denture through which the mother-dog plays with her puppies is the same she bites with when angry". Dele Omotunde of TELL Magazine in this week edition called Adedibu the crooked wood that upsets the fire place. Ladoja changed the modus operandi but he never did it with caution, you can’t just do away with your godfather not to even talk of the gargantuan octopus that brought you to political limelight. The impeachment of Ladoja is another clarion call to all Nigerians to do away with political sycophants as we move towards 2007.
This current feud has wasted the resources of the state, precious civil time has been expended on the impeachment notices not for anything but the simple fact that a single persona non grata wants to control the political scene. I won’t finish this piece without making mention of who Adedibu is. Adedibu is not a voted in politician but a self praised political godfather and his style of politics has been termed AMALA POLITICS, many Nigerians may not really understand the full meaning of the word AMALA as depicted in this context, Amala is a local deep brown Yoruba carbohydrate delicacy eaten with various types of soup, to really enjoy this type of morsel like meal, you need to have it steaming hot, the kind of politics played by Adedibu has always been hot, Ladoja being the latest victim, Adedibu has become a Czar, the deftness of his political movement is so fierce that anyone caught in the opposite direction becomes a dead meat. He who does not dance to his tune can only dance to the rhythm of his own funeral song as well opined by Dele Omotunde
Adedibu through his state sponsored terrorism and evil machinations caused public mayhem that led to the loss of innocent lives and the very next day rode high on horse to a public reception hosted by Obasanjo, this can only happen in Nigeria, a country where you can kill and still be king the next day. Lets come to the UK for a minute, MP George Galloway is presently a house member of the personalities top show tagged the Big Brother House, Galloway is the MP of Bow and Hackney constituency and by all standards should be at the beck and call of his constituency and not be party to a celebrity show which in normal parlance can be likened to mere self praise at the expense of good political maneuvering. As at today, members of his constituency are contemplating whether to impeach him or not, let’s just wait and see!! Lord Archer by all standards is no small man here in the UK but when he erred, he was slammed with a 4 year prison term, no questions asked. We all as Nigerians need to start asking questions about how the likes of Adedibu will continue to hold us hostages and all atrocities committed by them are not investigated.
The now defeated and estranged political godfather of Anambra state in person of Chief Chris Ubah should advise his mate, Adedibu because “HE WHO THE GODS WANTS TO KILL, THEY FIRST MAKE MAD” Adedibu needs to get his acts together, he may be full of high spirit now but let him remember that God is very, very patient but his justice is sure and certain. I was so shocked to see Chris Ubah at the recent PDP Convention amidst the so called political big wigs, I looked at Ubah and could not help but weep for the future of the country, he sat down as if he’s done nothing wrong, he was even praised by he compere at the events as the political godfather of Anambra state and President Obasanjo, the custodian of law was there!!
Why are Nigerians so crude and myopic? Why do we hate ourselves so much to the extent of killing one another all in the name of rugged politics? I will never forget in a hurry the gruesome and callous murder of Chief Bola Ige, the events leading to his death are still very fresh in our collective memories, the suspected kingpin of the gang won a senatorial seat right from Agodi Prisons and till this very day walk around the entire length and breadth of Nigeria a free man!!. Former Governor Mbadinuju has also been docked as a murder suspect all in the name of politics, we kill with reckless abandon at the slightest provocation and then rush to local worship centres to ask for heavenly forgiveness. Just this past December 2005, a political chieftain and Chairman of Delta State Community Development Committee, CDC in person of late Sunny Edema was murdered in Warri for not dancing to the political tunes of some select few, the case as usual will die a natural death. I remember vividly way back in 2003 when Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were murdered by their teaching assistant, Ian Huntley, the official zeal exhibited by the British Police in tracking down the killer(s) and the eventual prosecution of the latter was applauded by all and sundry but Nigeria remain a country with no obvious good track records, what do we then do when the custodian of law himself is a rogue?
The former deputy Governor now metamorphosed into the acting Governor with the help of Adedibu in person of Mr Adebayo Akala should now henceforth be on fortified guard and also sleep with one eye open because “the same rod that was used in flogging the first wife is in the ceiling for the second wife”. We now have it on records that immediately Akala was sworn in, he rushed to Molete, the residence of Adedibu to pay obeisance, do we then assert that all through the tenure of the now deposed Ladoja, Akala was a stooge to Adedibu?
Adedibu, Adedibu, Adedibu, you are indeed THE CROOKED WOOD THAT UPSETS THE FIRE PLACE
Wale Akin, on vacation, wrote this piece from the Ashburnham Place, East Sussex, UK
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